Spiegel quickly purchased a book, "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, for each member of his six-person team.

The Art of War was written by a Chinese general named Sun Tzu more than 2,500 years ago, possibly in the 6th Century BC. The book has long been heralded for its advice on military success. And this advice has since been co-opted by legions of armchair soldiers and generals in the business world.

The book is composed of 13 chapters, each of which focuses on a different aspect of war. It's a smart book. It's also poetic, repetitive, and arcane. So we've boiled down the highlights, compiling quotes from throughout the book.

ON MANAGEMENT: Care about your team, but also be tough

There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:

recklessness, which leads to destruction;

cowardice, which leads to capture;

a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;

a delicacy of honor, which is sensitive to shame;

over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.

When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.

ON MANAGEMENT: Hire great people, because weak, frustrated subordinates will cripple you.

When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse.

When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

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